Customer Reviews

Makita BTD141 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Impact Driver Kit

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I got this today and did a few tests.

First I drove a number of 1/4" X 6" lag screws into treated 2x6 lumber. The long way. No pilot holes. They drove right in. The drill slowed down a little for the last inch but they still went in very fast. I was impressed.

Then I decided to see if this came even close to the advertised 1,330 in/lbs of torque. Which is about 110 ft/lbs if you want to do the math. So I chucked in a 1/2" socket adapter with a 19mm impact socket, walked out to my car, and it proceeded to RIP all 5 lug nuts off the wheel. And when I say rip I am not kidding. It wasn't like the tool bogged down and then slowly got faster. I squeezed the trigger and they just came off. My wife cannot understand why I am still smiling from ear to ear 30 minutes later.

This is a 10 year old car with rusty lug nuts that I personally hand torqued to 100 ft/lbs only a few weeks ago when I was rotating the tires. Since they had been sitting it will take way more than 100 ft/lbs to get them off.

I own expensive air tools that cannot pull lug nuts that fast.

If you want torque that will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck, get this tool -- it is the real deal. I haven't done enough tests to validate the claims about the battery but knowing Makita and everything I've read I'm sure that the LXT batteries will live up to the hype.

I am against gimmiky items on tools, but the LED light is actually useful in the dark. And with they way they have the light recessed in a plastic case you won't need to worry about it breaking when you drop this tool off a ladder.

The form and fit of this in your hand is just great. This is one of the greatest Makita power tools I have ever owned, and I've had a lot of thier good ones over the years. Makita has outdone themselves again.

OK, guys.. you've found it. Get this one. This Makita impact driver is simply the best drill/driver that I have ever had or seen. The battery lasts FOREVER, the size is the smallest I've been able to find with 18 volts. Get yourself some quick change Phillips & Square head drivers and you are set to go. This thing is light, compact and powerful. Trigger speed sensitive, automatic light on the front, belt clip it great. it's a dream.

The BTD141 is a 2008 update/improved version of the BTD140. Not much difference but some improved internal parts (slightly higher max torque), slightly different appearance (mainly the plastic gearbox shroud), and a different chuck. This chuck allows you to push in a hex bit without pulling out the sleeve.

A week after I bought this, Makita releases the evolutionary Makita BTD144 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Impact Driver with brushless motor on the US market. There is a reason why the BTD144 is the first tool in the Makita line-up to get the brushless technology: Impact drivers are known for their torque but not for their finesse. With the digital electronic control that brushless motors allow, you can have buttons that reduce the speed and torque instead of having to feather the trigger pressure(like you have to do on the BTD141). Even though it is $100 more than the BTD141, I would have probably sprung for the BTD144.

Regardless, the BTD141 has loads of potential torque and if you are not careful/skilled you can torque fasteners way beyond where they should be. I needed some practice with the trigger and doing short bursts to make a 3" screw flush with a wood surface. Getting the right pressure on the trigger as you are driving a screw does not come naturally, especially if you've only used a drill as a driver.

The ergonomics on this, as with all Makita LXT tools, is superb. Very comfortable and balanced with "grippy" molded rubber in all the right places.

It is loud, but it's supposed to be loud; it's an IMPACT driver.

You can use this driver with the smaller 1.5 amp Makita batteries without making any modifications. (See user picture above) Thus, it can virtually become the smaller, lighter BTD142HW.

The case that came with it from Amazon was very large and had space for a Makita hammer drill. This worked out for me since I got a free hammer drill (BHP454Z) through a mail-in rebate promotion when I bought this. The case might be too big for your liking if Amazon is still shipping it with this case.

A great all around tool. It's nice to be able to change from a drill bit to a screw driver one handed. As a driver it makes easy work of driving 3-1/2" screws into 2x4's. It's lightweight but powerfull enough to get any job done. Another nice feature is that the batteries last longer than most other cordless drills and it charges quicker too.

We just finished our testing of this driver and WOW what a great driver. This is very small and lightweight. We used this driver with the 3A batteries and this lasted a long time. The balance is great, so hand fatique is little. Very easy to get the hang of for driving drywall screws all day or even decking. The light doesn't do much on the front unless you are in a dark corner. The battery stays on even at far drops. The way Makita designed the battery clip, there is a large lip that attaches to the drill to make sure the battery stay on. The trigger is not to hard to push where your fingers will hurt at the end of the day. Over all this is a great dril for the money.

I purchases this impact after using one of the 1.5v units on a job and loved it. this one being the 3v model is considerably more powerful. I took it out for a trial test and drove a 4" wood screw through a seasoned fence post, and the impact didn't even seem like it was working hard at all.

It's a well engineered tool and fits your hand like a glove. Much better than others I have had in the past. you can't go wrong with this kit. Mentioned it to a friend and bought one here also and is amazed at the power and versatility of it. You can't go wrong with this one!

After leaving my DeWalt 14.4 XRP at a customers house during the holidays, I was "forced" to purchase a new cordless to handle other projects until the customer got back from their ski trip. I knew I wanted to make the transition to Lithium-Ion, but wasn't sure what else was out there to compete with my DeWalt. After much research, I picked up the Makita BTD 141 and a 1/2" Hammerdrill for $299.00 with 2 3.0 Ah batteries and charger from Home Depot. Today was the first day on the job. The first thing that struck me was the weight. To be so light and to have so much power was impressive. I was patching some drywall in a closet that had water damage. This was going to be a good test. Alot of power is no good to me if I can't ratchet it down to install drywall. It does me no good to be burying drywall screws. I screwed in 2 x 4 blocking into 30 year old framing which would have required predrilling and a lot of muscle to get the screws in with the XRP. I was sinking 3" wood screws with very little effort into old wood. Unheard of before. You don't need leverage to get the screws in. Just pull the trigger and hang on!! I went overkill on the 3" screws just to see how easy they were to sink in at different positions. I sank several screws overhead where I could just barely reach. No problem with this badboy. The light came in handy. The XRP has a light that only comes on when you're pulling the trigger. This light stays on for about 10 seconds after you pull the trigger...a nice feature. I've heard complaints about the reverse switch being so close to the trigger. By the end of the day, this was a non-issue. I actually like having the switch so close. You can change directions with one hand...another nice feature. The drywall went on without a hitch. Screwing drywall screws into old wood can be a challenge sometimes. The #2 bit slips and usually strips half dozen screws. The Makita had enough power to handle it and the variable speed trigger was a snap. The impact feature kicks in with the least amount of resistance and takes the screw to where you need it. The variable speed trigger takes a little getting use to, but by the end of the first day, you've got it figured out. I completed the whole project on the same battery charge. You will be thoroughly impressed with the BTD 141 if you've never used a cordless impact driver before. I haven't used the 1/2" hammerdrill yet, but I'm sure I'll be equally impressed.

I picked this up as part of a combo kit on sale. Since it came with two batteries and a charger, all of which I needed, the actual tool didn't cost that much.

It's great for driving lag bolts in, or building a deck - even for taking screws out as one reviewer described. But since so many people insisted that they changed tires with it, I couldn't resist taking it out to the garage and trying it out. You have to put a 3/8" Square Drive Socket Adapter-Hex into it and put a socket on it to use it on a lug nut. I had a Ford van in the garage - lug nuts torqued by me to 95 ft. lbs. - and I put a socket on and let it pound....and pound...and pound.... The lug nut is still on, and it had just been taken off about two weeks ago. So it's not rusted in place.

This is a real world test. This is how you would use this to change a tire, and it doesn't work for that.

Let's not bring a knife to a gunfight. This is fine for light work, but it's not something you can keep in your trunk to help you change a flat on the road. If you understand that and buy it to use on wood, or small things like hanging garage doors, you'll probably be very satisfied. If you buy it to use it in a heavier setting, you'll waste your money.

I have been using this tool over 4 years and so far not one problem drives 3 1/2inch lag screws in wood without any problem.

I recently bought the LXT211 kit from Home Depot for $225 ($75 off for tool purchase over $300). Home Depot's normal price for the LXT211. The LXT211 includes this tool and the BHP452 (18v hammer drill). It also includes 2 3.0Ah batteries. So the obvious question is where the heck does Amazon come by these prices? There's no way the original price is currently (possibly ever) as stated. Come on Amazon - this seems dishonest.